## **Ouessant Sheep Society** 

DEFRA recognised breed society **Registered Charity, No: 1195176** 

**Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31 August 2024** 

## **Trustees** 

Natasha Arthur Sandra Bell (Chair) Anna Kelly John Kelly Jacquie L’Etang Michelle Mcillmurray 

Keith Mower Paul Rose 

_Ouessant Sheep Society:  Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements_ 

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## **Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31 August 2024** 

## **Contents** 

||**Contents**|**Contents**|
|---|---|---|
|**1**|**Reference and Administration Details............................................................... 3**||
||1.1|Charity Name & Registration ...................................................................... 3|
||1.2|Charity’s Address ....................................................................................... 3|
||1.3|Names of the Trustees Who Manage the Charity ......................................... 3|
||1.4|Names of Advisors & Senior Members of Staff ............................................. 3|
||1.5|Bank ......................................................................................................... 3|
|**2**|**Structure, Governance & Management ............................................................ 4**||
||2.1|Type of Governing Document ..................................................................... 4|
||2.2|Charitable Objects ..................................................................................... 4|
||2.3|Trustee Selection Methods ......................................................................... 4|
|**3**|**Activities ............................................................................................................. 4**||
||3.1|Statutory Declaration ................................................................................. 4|
|**4**|**Achievements & Performance ........................................................................... 4**||
||4.1|Outputs and Outcomes for the Charity’s Beneficiaries.................................. 4|
||4.2|How the Public Have Benefitted.................................................................. 5|
||4.3|Trustee Development................................................................................. 6|
||4.4|Plans for the Future ................................................................................... 6|
|**5**|**Financial Review ................................................................................................. 6**||
||5.1|Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit .................................................... 6|
||5.2|Policy on Reserves ..................................................................................... 6|
||5.3|Principal Sources of Funding and Outgoings ................................................ 6|
||5.4|Remuneration of Trustees .......................................................................... 7|
||5.5|Risk Management ...................................................................................... 7|
||5.6|Financial Status.......................................................................................... 7|
||5.7|Statutory Statements on Liabilities.............................................................. 7|
|**6**|**Statement of Financial Activity .......................................................................... 8**||
||6.1|Report on the Accounts.............................................................................. 8|
||6.2|Receipts & Payments Accounts for the Financial Year Ended 31-Aug-21 ........ 9|
||6.3|Notes to the Accounts .............................................................................. 13|



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## **Trustees Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31 August 2024** 

## **1 Reference and Administration Details** 

## **1.1 Charity Name & Registration** 

## **Ouessant Sheep Society** 

The Society is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration no: 1195176, registered with the Charity Commission on 14 July 2021. 

The charity is registered with HM Revenue & Customs 

## **1.2 Charity’s Address** 

Germoe Veor, Germoe, Penzance, TR20 9QX e-mail:   info@ouessantsheep.org.uk 

website:   www.ouessantsheep.org.uk 

## **1.3 Names of the Trustees Who Manage the Charity** 

||**_Role_**|**_Appointed_**|**_Resigned_**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Natasha Arthur||30 Oct 22||
|Sandra Bell|(Chair)|14 Jul 21|29 Oct 23|
|||29 Oct 23||
|Julie Bukowczan||06 Feb 23|29 Oct 23|
|Jonathon Davies||29 Oct 23|19 Feb 24|
|Susan Hughes||14 Jul 21|29 Oct 23|
|Anna Kelly|(Secretary)|29 Mar 23|29 Oct 23|
|||29 Oct 23||
|John Kelly|(Treasurer)|06 Feb 23|29 Oct 23|
|||29 Oct 23||
|Jacquie L’Etang||29 Oct 23||
|Adrian Lloyd|(Registrar)|14 Jul 21|29 Oct 23|
|Michelle Mcillmurray||14 Jul 21||
|Keith Mower||29 Oct 23||
|Paul Rose||29 Oct 23||
|Francesca Ryder||29 Oct 23|26 Nov 23|



## **1.4 Names of Advisors & Senior Members of Staff** 

None 

## **1.5 Bank** 

Lloyds Bank, 41-43 South Street, Worthing BN11 3AU 

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## **2 Structure, Governance & Management** 

## **2.1 Type of Governing Document** 

Constitution – based on the Charity Commission’s Association model governing document for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with voting members other than its charity trustees 

## **2.2 Charitable Objects** 

As defined in the Ouessant Sheep Society’s Constitution (Governing Document): 

The following objects are for the public benefit: 

(1) The promotion of agriculture through the conservation and preservation of the Ouessant sheep as a distinctive and viable breed for the benefit of future generations. 

(2) To provide a registration and breeding programme for Ouessant sheep and to encourage and promote the improvement of the Ouessant breed. 

(3) To advance the education of the public into the attributes and husbandry of Ouessant sheep, improving awareness of the breed and the welfare of its animals. 

## **2.3 Trustee Selection Methods** 

There must be at least 5 charity trustees.   The maximum number of trustees is 10. 

In accordance with the Constitution, the existing committee became the first Board of Trustees on the registration of the charity as a CIO.  All trustees stood down at the first AGM, on 17 October 2021, to allow election/re-election. Currently one third of Trustees stand for re-election each year in a ballot of all members of the CIO.  The charity trustees to stand down by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or re-appointment. 

At present there is no ex-officio Trustee. The role of Registrar, an ex-officio Trustee and appointed by the Board of Trustees, has been contracted out to Grassroots. 

In appointing Trustees, due consideration is given to ensuring, as far as possible, that the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law. 

## **3 Activities** 

## **3.1 Statutory Declaration** 

The Trustees of the Ouessant Sheep Society CIO confirm that they have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. 

## **4 Achievements & Performance** 

## **4.1 Outputs and Outcomes for the Charity’s Beneficiaries** 

The Society has been in existence since 2005 and, as at 31[st] August 2024, has 187 members, 154 of whom are voting members of the CIO. 

The national flock book has been maintained throughout the year; 

As on the 1[st] September 2024, the flock book now contains a total of 4700 record 

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This is made up of 2686 animals flagged as 'alive'. 

- 1658 Registered Females 

- 282 Registered Males 

- 146 Registered Castrates 

- 32 Notified Females 

- 152 Notified males 

- 416 Notified castrates 

Of the registered animals 

28 are Annex Register Females 

- 10 Annex Stage A 

- 15 Annex Stage B 

- 3 Annex Stage C 

The new website is now live, easier access to information for both members and the public. The website allows members to list their flock websites and craft or service support websites, thereby allowing members and public to see what is available in their area. 

Logos have been updated and are now consistent across all the promotion material. 

The various regions have been reduced in size and there are now 15 regions and most of them with dedicated representatives, enabling more effective support for existing and potential members. 

Promotional packs have been developed for members use at shows and various information sheets and guides have been written to aid dissemination of information to the public, new sheep keepers and members in a consistent manner. 

The annual International Meeting of European Associations Ouessant Breeders meeting in Brussels was postponed from March 2024 until October 2024 when it is planned that a Trustee should attend. 

In January 2024, Grassroots took responsibility for the Flock Book and we have not had a need for a dedicated Registrar this year. 

On February 17[th] there was an informative Zoom talk on Colour Genetics in Sheep. 

A   long-term Height Measuring Scheme has been set up to monitor the height of Ouessant sheep. It will take place over three years and, at the end of that period it is hoped that it will give an indication as to whether the breed is maintaining its height. 

## **4.2 How the Public Have Benefitted.** 

The Society’s members have continued to bring the breed to the attention of the public through its new website and social media platforms and by members showing Ouessant sheep at agricultural shows and similar events using the new promotional packs and information sheets. The charity continues to provide support to members by providing updated information leaflets about the breed.  A new open group on social media for both members and non-members has proved very popular. The charity’s website contains information on the breed, husbandry and welfare and contact details for advice and support. 

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## **4.3 Trustee Development** 

In its third full year as a registered charity, the OSS Board has seen changes in its trustee membership and has placed emphasis on support for, and education and development of, trustees particularly in the area of data protection.  Resources – principally those provided by the Charity Commission and Small Charity 

Support – have been provided to all trustees who are encouraged to participate in development opportunities. 

## **4.4 Plans for the Future** 

The Society has continued to struggle with training inspectors due to the small size of the Society and the wide spread of the membership. It is imperative that the Society can inspect sheep. It is now hoped to have a Remote Inspection Panel consisting of 3 Trustees, one European inspector and one national inspector. With the aid of photographs and videos the five members of the Panel should have enough information to be able to inspect the sheep. It also means any member, no matter where they are located, will have access to the inspectors for the same standard fee. With the membership’s approval, it is hoped to have this scheme in place from January 1[st] 2025. It is also hoped that the inspection panel will provide for a voluntary ram approval process, also to be in place from January 1[st] 2025. 

More information sheets are planned The Trustees are keen to build on the firm base of the charity’s previous years as a CIO and to maintain the momentum of increased membership and greater interest in the breed.  Further on-line information, support and educational resources will be published including Zoom talks and lecturers on fleece processing and crafts. 

The Board has investigated DNA testing for all rams in the flock book but it is not planned to introduce this in the immediate future. 

The Annex and Reinstatement Annex have both been looked at and both have been paused pending further investigation and discussion with the membership at the AGM. 

## **5 Financial Review** 

## **5.1   Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit** 

The Charity has no funds which are materially in deficit. 

## **5.2 Policy on Reserves** 

The charity’s Reserves Policy is designed to provide a level of working capital that protects the continuity of the Society’s core work and provides cover for risks such as unforeseen expenditure or unanticipated loss of income. The Society’s core work is assessed as the provision of the online flock book, member services and other resources via the Society website. These services, plus the essentially administration required to support them currently cost around £3,000 per year. As income is mainly derived from subscription and registration fees, the Society is less susceptible to variation in income than charities which depend on fundraising. Unforeseen expenditure is unlikely to exceed £1,000, except in the event of a regional or national outbreak of a notifiable disease when the Society may be called upon to help protect and support the breed.  The Trustees therefore judge that the Society must retain minimum reserves of £6,000. 

## **5.3 Principal Sources of Funding and Outgoings** 

The principal sources of funding are members’ subscriptions, upon which Gift Aid is claimed where applicable, and fees for services provided, principally registration fees.  Major outgoings are the delivery of charitable activities, in the form of education and information via the charity’s website and events and the provision of the national flock book, breeding and inspection programmes, and the administration and support of the charity.  Administrative costs are kept to a minimum and remain significantly less than the expenditure on charitable activities. 

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## **5.4 Remuneration of Trustees** 

All Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and receive no remuneration or other material benefits from their services to the Charity. 

Out-of-pocket expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by Trustees in promoting the purposes of the Charity are reimbursed at cost. 

## **5.5 Risk Management** 

The Trustees have considered the major risks to which the charity is exposed.  They review those risks regularly and take action to manage them where appropriate.  Major risks include a loss of confidence in the charity, resulting in a reduction of donation and fee income, accidental or malicious compromise of IT systems, including the membership database and online flock book, and an epidemic of serious ovine disease.  All the charity’s actions are designed to increase trust and confidence in the charity and its management, which will be reinforced by the charity’s recent registration with the Charity Commission and zootechnical accreditation.  The Trustees place the highest importance in online security and Data Protection and have invested in the latest versions of software, and use only reputable commercial providers, to maintain the integrity of systems and reduce the risk of compromise. 

## **5.6 Financial Status** 

Though modest, the Ouessant Sheep Society’s current income from unrestricted donations (subscriptions) and fees for services provided are more than sufficient to meet its outgoings for at least next year. 

All the indications are that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future. 

## **5.7 Statutory Statements on Liabilities** 

The Trustees declare that: 

- ✓ The charity has given no guarantees where potential liability under the guarantee is outstanding at the date of this statement. 

- ✓ The charity has no debt outstanding at the date of this statement which is owed by the CIO and which is secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO 

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf, 

Sandra Bell (Chair) 9[th] October 2024 

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## **6 Statement of Financial Activity** 

## **6.1 Report on the Accounts** 

## 6.1.1 **Responsibilities and Basis of the Report** 

The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). 

The trustees note that, as the charity’s income is less than £25,000, an independent examination of the accounts is not mandated. 

The trustees confirm that 

1. accounting records were kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act 

2. the accounts presented below accord with those records. 

The trustees have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the accounts to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

## 6.1.2 **Treasurer’s Report** 

The society accounts continue to be maintained in Zoho Books on a receipts and payments basis. This report has been compiled using the Charity Commission template for non-company charities with gross income of £250K or less (CC16a). 

Income across the financial period remained consistent with the previous reporting period and showed a slight reduction in subscriptions while an increase in registrations helped balance income over the period. 

No gift aid was collected this reporting period as the move to Grassroots for subscriptions administration impacted the ability to identify and collect this, however members of the Board of Trustees are currently working with Grassroots in an attempt to correct this issue and once resolved the society will be in a position to claim Gift Aid for the 2023/24 period, this is in line with HMRC Gift Aid regulations. Any Gift Aid for the 2023/24 period will be reported as a separate income line item in the 2024/25 report. 

Society expenses over the period were lower than the previous period, however there is an increase in both IT & Internet Expenses and Administration expenses. These increases reflect the change of membership and registration management across to Grassroots and the work done by the societies Board of Trustees to improve communications within the society and to the wider general public. This included a new society website which was commissioned and developed by a third-party provider and an increased attendance at livestock events across the UK. 

I remain confident that the charity’s finances remain in a very healthy position and have no concerns regarding the coming period. 

Report Prepared by: John Kelly Treasurer 8[th] October 2024 

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## **6.2 Receipts & Payments Accounts for the Financial Year Ended 31-Aug-24** 

## **Receipts & Payments** 


|**Ouessant Sheep Society**|**Ouessant Sheep Society**||**No (if**||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**any)**||
|**Receipts and payments accounts**||||**CC16a**|
|**For the**|Period start||Period||
|**period**|date|**To**|end date||
|**from**|01/09/2023||31/08/2024||



## **Section A Receipts and payments** 


|**Unrestricte**<br>**d funds**|**Restricted**<br>**funds**|**Endowmen**<br>**t funds**|**Total**<br>**funds**|**Last year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**to the**<br>**nearest**<br>**£**|**to the**<br>**nearest £**|**to the**<br>**nearest £**|**to the**<br>**nearest**<br>**£**|**to the**<br>**nearest £**|



## **A1 Receipts** 

|Subscriptions|**3,288**|<br> <br>|**-**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**-**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**3,288**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**3,631**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Registrations|**1,723**||**-**||**-**||**1,723**||**929**|
|Gift Aid on Subscriptions|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**466**|
|Interest (Bank Accounts)|**130**||**-**||**-**||**130**||**57**|
|Other Income|**543**||**-**||**-**||**543**||**635**|
||||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income_<br>_for AR)_|**5,684**||**-**||**-**||**5,684**||**5,718**|



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**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
A2 Asset and investment<br>sales, (see table).<br>-   -   -   -<br>-   -   -   -    -<br>Sub total   -   -   -   -    -<br>Total receipts  5,684   -   -   5,684   5,718<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **A3 Payments** 

|Accounting Fees|**-**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**-**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**-**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**-**|<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>|**284**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Advertising & Marketing|**413**||**-**||**-**||**413**||**-**|
|Bank fees & Charges|**159**||**-**||**-**||**159**||**189**|
|IT & Internet Expenses|**1,965**||**-**||**-**||**1,965**||**1,272**|
|Administration Expenses|**1,194**||**-**||**-**||**1,194**||**735**|
|Other Expenses|**2,054**||**-**||**-**||**2,054**||**1,574**|
|Workshops|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**805**|
|European Meeting|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**1,167**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**5,785**||**-**||**-**||**5,785**||**6,026**|




**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
A4 Asset and investment<br>purchases, (see table)<br>-   -   -   -<br>-   -   -   -<br>Sub total<br>-   -   -   -    -<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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|**_Total payments_**|**5,785**||**-**||**-**||**5,785**||**6,026**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||||
|**_Net of_**|**-**||||||**-**||**-**|
|**_receipts/(payments)_**|**101**||**-**||**-**||**101**||**308**|
|**A5 Transfers between**||||||||||
|**funds**|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**A6 Cash funds last year**||||||||||
|**end**|**13,589**||**-**||**-**||**13,589**||**13,897**|
|**_Cash funds this year_**||||||||||
|**_end_**|**13,488**||**-**||**-**||**13,488**||**13,589**|



## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Unrestricted  Restricted  Endowment<br>Categories   Details    funds   funds   funds<br>to nearest   to  to<br>nearest  nearest<br>£  £<br>£<br>B1 Cash funds   Current Account<br>2,009   -    -<br> Deposit Account<br>10,172   -    -<br> PayPal Account<br>1,307   -    -<br> Total cash funds<br>13,488   -   -<br>(agree balances with receipts<br>and payments account(s))  OK  OK  OK<br>Unrestricted  Restricted  Endowment<br>funds   funds   funds<br>to nearest  to  to<br>£  nearest  nearest £<br>Details  £<br>B2 Other monetary<br>assets  -    -    -<br>-    -    -<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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## **B3 Investment assets** 

**B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use** 

||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**Details**|||**Fund to**<br>**which**<br>**asset**<br>**belongs**|||**Cost**<br>**(optional)**||**Current**<br>**value**<br>**(optional)**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||**Details**|||**Fund to**<br>**which**<br>**asset**<br>**belongs**|||**Cost**<br>**(optional)**||**Current**<br>**value**<br>**(optional)**|
||Registrations|Laptop||||||||
||Computer||||||**-**||**100**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|
||||||||**-**||**-**|



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## **B5 Liabilities** 

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
-    -<br>Fund to  Amount  When due<br>which  due  (optional)<br>liability  (optional)<br>Details  relates<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>Date of<br>Signature  Print Name<br>approval<br>John Kelly   08/10/2024<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **6.2.2 Approval of the Board of Trustees** 

The Trustees declare that they have approved the above Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity. 

Signed on behalf of the Trustees 

Sandra Bell (Chair) 09[th] October 2024 

## **6.3 Notes to the Accounts** 

- a) Accounting Policies The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 Section 133, using the Receipts and Payments basis available to small charities and the Zoho Books accounting software. 

- b) Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Expenses 

   - Out-of-pocket expenses incurred necessarily, reasonably and incidentally in the course the charity’s activities are reimbursed at cost. 

- c) Salaries & Professional Fees 

No trustee receives any payments for the services they provide to the charity. 

In the current financial year the charity employed no staff or external contractors; 

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- d) Fixed Assets 

The charity has not purchased and has not disposed of any fixed assets in the current financial year; 

- e) Creditors & Debtors Cheques for goods or services purchased, or invoices for goods or services delivered, which are issued prior to the end of the financial year but not appearing in the end of financial year bank statement are reported as outstanding creditors or debtors respectively. 

- f) Rounding Discrepancies 

All amounts are recorded to the penny, but in these accounts are shown as digitally rounded to the nearest pound.   This can occasionally result in a total apparently not being the sum of its constituent amounts.   All individual amounts, and their totals, are nevertheless correct. 

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